Sri Lanka’s political crisis looks set to continue this week after the ruling party decided to nominate Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe as its candidate for the next president.
After the dramatic ouster of Sri Lanka’s strongman President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, the campaign to take over executive power has begun as the country faces some of its worst economic and political upheaval since independence.
Rajapaksa’s fall, which followed months of protracted protests and historic scenes during which mobs took over his presidential palace and offices, was met with jubilation by many in Sri Lanka.
Yet for many in the protest movement that emerged, Rajapaksa’s removal from power was only the first step toward revolutionizing Sri Lankan politics. And after the announcement of the resignation, another obstacle to the introduction of change seems to have immediately arisen.
On Friday, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe was named interim president until parliament meets next week to vote on who will officially take over the role. It was a role he had been filling since Wednesday when, before fleeing to the Maldives in the middle of the night, Rajapaksa appointed Wickremesinghe as “acting president”.
The announcement was met with anger and disappointment on the streets of Colombo. Wickremesinghe, who has already served as prime minister five times, is accused of protecting and supporting the Rajapaksa family dynasty for years, shielding them from corruption charges and enabling their return to power.
His decision to agree to become caretaker prime minister two months ago was seen by many as the reason Rajapaksa stayed in power for weeks longer than he otherwise would have.
Public disillusionment with Wickremesinghe has manifested itself repeatedly, from the burning of his private residence to the storming of his offices by protesters on Wednesday.
But despite a clear message from protesters that he was not the leader they were calling for, Wickremesinghe announced on Friday that he would be among those putting his name forward as a presidential candidate.
Sri Lankan protesters in front of the Indian High Commission are demanding the immediate release of Indians who staged protests to show solidarity with them. Photo: Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
He will be the candidate for the Rajapaksas’ ruling party, the Sri Lanka Poduyana Peramuna (SLPP), which still holds the most seats in parliament. He has a good chance of being elected after MPs vote in parliament next Tuesday or Wednesday.
There was a mood of frustration among those who had worked for months to topple the Rajapaksa presidency.
“Ranil Wickremesinghe must step down because he has come to the defense of this corrupt system and has failed five times before as prime minister,” said Catholic priest Jevantha Peiris, who is leading the protest. “As citizens we don’t accept it, we don’t need another corrupt leader. We want to change the whole system.”
Many who live in the anti-government protest camp in central Colombo’s Galle Face area expressed concern and by Friday it had been renamed from Gota Go Gama (Gota go home) to Ranil Go Gama (Ranil Go Home).
There was particular concern about the language Wickremesinghe used to describe the protesters in recent days, describing them as infiltrated by “fascists” and “extremists”.
“The idea of Ranil being a replacement for Gota, with all the power he has, is not the change we wanted and it’s a very scary concept going forward,” said Mitsandi Seveviratne, 21. “We’re worried that how he breaks this movement might even to be much worse than what Gota did.
Many pointed out that Wickremesinghe had only entered parliament through a ticket system for his party, which had only one seat, and accused him of lacking political legitimacy and ignoring the demands of the people’s movement known as Aragalia, which Wickremesinghe claimed to support.
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“The youth came forward to oust Gotha, which everyone thought was an impossible task, but we didn’t do that, we fought all these months, so it could be Ranil for president,” said Manet, 25. “He is not a change : since children he is either prime minister or opposition leader so we have no faith in Ranil.
Wickremesinghe’s nomination even seems to have caused a rift with the SLPP. Party president GL Peiris sent a letter to the party’s general secretary expressing “surprise and total disbelief” at the announcement that he would support Wickremesinghe as his presidential candidate.
However, Wickremesinghe will face several candidates in next week’s secret presidential vote, including opposition leader Sajith Premadasa – who has vowed to make sure “an elected dictatorship never, ever arises” and to go after leaders who have “robbed the country”. – and another SLPP politician, Dallas Alahaperuma, which could split the ruling party’s vote. Former army chief Sarath Fonseka has also signaled his intention to contest.
As parliament met briefly on Saturday, a note was read from Rajapaksa – the first words heard publicly from him since he fled to the Maldives and Singapore, where he remains.
“I gave my best for the country,” Rajapaksa’s letter reads. “And in the future I will contribute to the country.”
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